Peddlers,
runners, hikers and bikers are always looking for new places to go, and
new trails to trek. So the Bureau has created a one-stop-shop Trail
Guide for both tourists and residents, featuring a County map showing all locations, plus individual site listings, with photos, detailed descriptions, map, and directions.

Here are snippets from 3 listings in the new guide:

The
Crum Woods of Swarthmore College is one of the last remaining forested
areas in Delaware County, and offers 3.5 miles of walking trails.

These
trails extend over more than two hundred acres of land, significant not
only for its large area and biodiversity, but also for the
opportunities it offers for learning and recreation. The woods are used
as a classroom and laboratory by the College, and provide recreational
opportunities for all, including the broader community.

HISTORY NOTE:
Crum Creek, which runs north to south through the woods, was originally
called Ockanickon, by the native Lenni Lenape who lived on its banks.
Following European settlement in the early 18th century, the Swedes
renamed it Crumkill, meaning “crooked creek.” Over time, much of the
land was cleared for agricultural and industrial use. During the Great
Depression, under direction of the Scott Horticultural Foundation (which
is today the Scott Arboretum) the Crum Woods was replanted with over
60,000 native trees and shrubs,

The trail is a “walking trail” and part of the 22.5 mile Creek and
38 sq. miles of watershed that runs from Malvern, Chester County to the
Delaware River. Starting points would be either at Plush Mill Road in
Smedley Park or Yale Road in Swarthmore.

The Leiper-Smedley Trail is a paved 2.2 mile from Rogers Lane to
Yale Avenue on the west side of the creek. That trail is bike and
handicapped friendly.

Pictured inside the photo above, the railroad bridge crossing over
Chester Creek may be daunting for dogs or young children.

The Darlington Trail boasts a varied terrain and is most accessible from the parking lot on Darlington Road.
The
trail follows Chester Creek for several hundred yards, crosses and
follows an old railroad right-of-way, and then crosses portions of the
Darlington Family Dairy through mixed woods. meadows and farmland,
returning to Darlington Road or continuing on a similar perimeter trail.

The loop is approximately 203/4 miles and the terrain is varied with
flat and steeper sections that provide excellent views of Chester
Creek.

The trail links to the Rocky Run Trail with a portion of it on the
Wawa Preserve that is a property maintained by Natural Lands Trust. The
grounds that follow the Creek are maintained and planted by the CRC
Watersheds Association, a non-profit that manages the Chester, Ridley
and Crum Creek watersheds.

The Rocky Run Trail intersects with the Darlington Trail and runs
along Chester Creek and the railroad track and has few incline sand is
very flat.

The
Haverford Heritage Trail is a 14-mile loop through Haverford that
highlights many historic sites in the Township. It comprises parts of
other trails listed below.

Follow
the trail loop on foot or on bicycle as it winds through the township
and its history. Over thirty sites are numbered starting at the Grange
Estate in the southeast part of Haverford...

HISTORY NOTE:
The Federal School is a field stone one-room school. A 1797 date stone
is on the gable end away from the chimney. Haverford Township's first
purpose-built school and Delaware County's second, it served as a school
until 1872. In addition to the main trail route, several "option"
routes cover additional sites. Option trails exist for Beechwood
Amusement Park, Haverford College, Steel Road (on-road option for
bicyclists) and the Narbeth estate. Note: At the present time, some trail portions do not yet offer a continuous route...

#9 Header Photo:The Chester Creek Trail is a proud member of the Circuit, a 750-mile networkof bicycle and pedestrian trails connecting people to jobs, communities, and parks in the Greater Philadelphia Region.